Rail-joint.



.No. 780,878. 'PATBNTED JAN. 24,1905;

7 W. J. FORSYTH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED-SEPT. 26, 1904.

BY mg ATTORNEYS WITNESSES:

Patented January 24, 1905.

PATE T OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOSEPH FORSYTH, OF NEW IBERIA, LOUISIANA.-

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '780,878, dated January 24, 1905.

Application filed $eptember 26, 1904.. Serial No. 226.088.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J osErH FOR- sYTH, a citizen of England, and a resident of New Iberia, in the parish of Iberia and State of cur at rail-joints as the wheels pass over them.

A further object is to providea joint whichis very simple in construction and which will remain intact in spite of the vibrations to which the parts are subjected, the parts being durable and also readily disconnected.

The invention consists in the combination and construction of parts, to be more fully described hereinafter and definitely set forth in the claims. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

' in which similar characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail-joint constructed according to my invention, a portion being broken away and shown in section. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken substantially upon the line 2 .2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line'4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1'

ed to be slid upon the ends of the rails, as indicated most'clearly in Fig. 1. The bodies 7 8 of the blocks are formed at their adjacent extremities and depend from the arms 3 and 4, as shown. These blocks abut against each other, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 4,

and their faces are provided with transverselydisposed enlarged recesses or channels 9, which channels receive nicely projecting tongues or shoulders 10, formed upon the opposite face. To describe thisinterlocking connection between the abutting faces more minutely, it should be stated that the end face 11 of the block 3 is preferably undercut below the level of the jaw thereof to form a projecting. shoulder 12 and a depressed face 13. At substantially the middle point the depressed face 13 is provided with a transverselydisposed tongue 14, which is preferably of a width substantially equal to one-third the width of the face. The opposing face of the 7 other block is correspondingly formed, but in a complementary manner, as will be readily understood, so that the parts will fit together,

as indicated most clearly in Fig. 4.

Upon its rear face, preferably at its lower edge, the body 7 of the block 3 is provided with a projecting shoulder 15, the purpose of which will appear more fully hereinafter. Arrangement is made for firmly clamping the blocks 3 and 4 together. For this purpose a yoke or shackle 16 is provided, the same consisting of a plate 17, adapted to rest against the rear face of the body 7 of the block 3, and this plate is provided with integral flanges 18, which lieagainst the side faces of the blocks, 5 as shown in Fig. 3, projecting beyond the same, as indicated. The projecting portions of these flanges 18 are provided with alining openings 19, which afford means for mounting locking-keys 20. These keys consist of 9 bolts preferably having squared heads 21, as indicated, the bodies of the said bolts being enlarged by eccentrically-disposed heads 22. These heads are preferably of cylindrical outline, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 4, and the openings 19 are so placed that if the bolts are rotated in the proper direction the faces of the eccentric heads 22 will engage the rear face 23 of the body 8 in such a manner as to draw the bodies of the blocks toward each ditionally secure, the webs 25'of the rails 1 2 are connected, by means of through-bolts 26, with the flanges 5 of the blocks and the parts are connected in such position that when the blocks are drawn together the end faces of the rails will substantially abut against each other.

The projecting shoulder 15, referred to above, operates as a support for the lower edge of the yoke, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 4, and facilitates the assembling of the parts.

All of the parts which constitute the joint would preferably be made of steel, to which asmall percentage, preferably three per cent. of nickel has been added to prevent rust or corrosion.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that a very rigid and firm connection is made between the rails. This connection, however, can be instantly thrown out or broken by applying a wrench or suitable handle to rotate the keys. The rails may be reeoupled again in an instant without the use of bolts, screws, keys, or anything that tends to jam. By reason of the very rigid interlocking connection between the faces of the blocks it should appear that there is no possibility for the ends of the rails to give or become depressed under the weight of a passing truck, and for this reason the joint operates very effectively to prevent the undesirable clicking and incidental shock which often occurs at rail-joints and becomes one long endless bar of steel rail, being, as it were, a virtual girder resisting a vertical pressure.

Having thus described myinvention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A rail-joint comprising a pair of oppositely-disposed members presenting jaws receiving the ends of the abutting rails, and means for clamping said members together, said means operating to draw said jaws together longitudinally of the rails.

2. A rail-joint comprising in combination a pair of oppositely-disposed members presenting jaws adapted to receive adjacent extremities of two rails, means for attaching said members to said rails, and means for drawing Said members together in the direction in which the rails extend.

3. A rail-joint comprising in combination a pair of members adapted to receive the extremities of adjacent rails, said members having interlocking abutting faces, and means for clamping said members together in the direction in which the rails extend.

4:. In a rail-joint in combination, a pair of oppositely-disposed blocks having longitudinally-disposed arms, said arms presenting jaws receiving the extremities of the rails, the adjacent faces of said blocks having channels formed therein and tongues received in said channels, and means for clamping said blocks together.

5. In a rail-joint in combination, a pair of blocks presenting arms adapted to receive the extremities of adjacent rails, said blocks having depending bodies disposed below said arms, said bodies having transverse channels and tongues received therein, a yoke passing about said bodies, and means for clamping said yoke to draw said bodies together.

6. In a rail-joint in combination, a pair of blocks having longitudinally-disposed arms presenting jaws receiving adjacent extremities of two rails, said blocks having bodies depending from said arms, said bodies having transversely-disposed channels and tongues receiving the same, a yoke adapted to press upon the outer face of one of said bodies, and clamping-keys carried by said yoke and engaging the outer face of the body of the opposite block.

7 In a rail-joint in combination, a pair of oppositelydisposed blocks presenting arms adapted to receive the adjacent extremities of two rails, said blocks comprising extensions disposed laterally with respect to said arms, said extensions having interlocking adjacent faces, a yoke surrounding said extensions and projecting therebeyond, and keys having eccentric heads rotatably mounted in said yoke and adapted to clamp said yoke upon said extensions.

8. In a rail-joint in combination, a pair of oppositely-disposed blocks presenting jaws adapted to receive the extremities of rails, said blocks having eXtensions depending below said rails, said extensions having interlocking adjacent faces, one of said extensions having a shoulder projecting outwardly from the rear face thereof, a yoke resting uponsaid rear face and said shoulder and having projecting extensions, and rotatable members mounted in said last extensions and having eccentric heads engaging one of said blocks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VVILLIAM JOSEPH FORSYIH.

Witn sses:

JOHN T. IVIIrrn,

T, KING. 

